OPINION: “Supplemental” in name only

On November 3, voters in the Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls school districts will decide whether to renew supplemental levies that help pay for staffing, programs, and day-to-day operations. Both are replacement levies and both districts are asking for more money.

Coeur d’Alene seeks replacing its current $25 million annual levy with $30.25 million per year for two years. The district says the additional money will maintain current staffing and services as costs for insurance, utilities, fuel, and supplies steadily increase. The levy currently accounts for about one fourth of the district’s operating budget.

Post Falls is asking for $6.78 million annually for two years. The money would help pay for safety and security, counseling and nursing, extracurricular activities, KTEC, literacy and behavioral-support staff, employee salaries, and two buses.

Those numbers are important. I believe in fiscal responsibility, and school districts should explain what they need, why they need it, and what taxpayers receive in return. But numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Public schools are asked to carry a lot. We expect them to improve attendance when children aren’t showing up, provide extra help to students aren’t up to grade level, and motivate kids who would rather not be there at all. We expect schools to prepare students for college, careers, adulthood, citizenship, and a future none of us can predict with certainty.

Personal note: Mentoring in a local elementary school changed how I view public education. I support school choice, but comparisons with private and charter schools aren’t exactly apples to apples. Those families have more parental involvement, one of the strongest predictors of student success, and are responsible for the basics like meals and transportation. Public schools serve every child, including those needing special services, and those with challenging family situations. Different models can and do succeed, but we need to acknowledge they don’t operate on an equal playing field.

Schools should be accountable for what happens inside their walls, but they don’t control every circumstance a child brings with them. They open the door, and their hearts, anyway. Every morning, principals, teachers, and support staff show up for kids. They teach them, feed them, challenge them, encourage them, celebrate their successes, and offer second chances. Sometimes one of those people becomes the one consistent adult a child desperately needs. You won’t find that on a spreadsheet. Test scores, graduation rates, and budgets all matter. So does what happens when a teacher goes above and beyond to help struggling child.

That brings me back to these levies. What they fund isn’t superficial. It is teachers, buses, safety, literacy support, counseling, nurses, and the people and services that are reasonable expectations when a child walks through the schoolhouse door.

That doesn’t mean every request should get a free pass. Local control includes the right of taxpayers to ask hard questions about spending, priorities, and results. While our public schools should be accountable to taxpayers, they should also have our support as they navigate the often-complex realities of educating children whose needs go beyond the classroom.

Here’s the question we all need to ask: If levies are paying for the basics needed to keep schools running, are they really “supplemental”? Maybe it’s time to have an in-depth conversation about how we fund public education in the first place.

Before November 3, look past the slogans. Look at the numbers and ask where the money goes, what’s working, what needs improvement, and remember the people behind the spreadsheet. Because in the end, that is who we are investing in. 

It’s the Idaho way. 

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Becky Funk is a member of North Idaho Republicans and a former Legislative District 4 Republican Chair.